That’s the question being asked on a couple of blogs today. Frank Turk starts things off with “Filthy Calvinists and the People Who Love to Hate Them“, asking why many non-Calvinists get so fired up about Calvinism, insisting loudly that they’re not Calvinists, but they don’t express similar vehemence against other systems like Catholicism. (He also mixes in quite a bit of rhetoric as blog fodder, but this is the basic question.) The post is followed by an extensive discussion in the comments on the issue.

I think the main reason why so many protestant Christians have a problem with Calvinism more than issues related to Catholicism is that they see Calvinism as a plausible system. That means it is a reasonable one that could possibly be true (sorry, but some of those beliefs about Mary are just plain silly). I remember being introduced to the theology 11 years ago through the “limited atonement” piece of the puzzle, and I still remember the violent reaction I had to it. It made the strange view of Open Theism look attractive, but Calvinism’s plausibility created a long-time of wrestling that ultimately resulted in a (short lived) conversion to Calvinism.

He then goes on to explain why he is opposed to Calvinism, focusing largely on issues related to the problem of evil and the idea that everything God does is focused on his own glory (i.e. the “self-absorbed God” problem).

I’d actually be inclined to argue that non-Calvinists are more stridently opposed to Calvinism because it is “closer” to them – closer theologically, culturally, and often geographically. The general orbit of non-Calvinist Protestants churches overlaps that of Calvinist Protestants far more than it does that of Catholics, Orthodox, and others. And, if you’re going to throw stones at someone, you’re far more likely to throw them at the person standing next to you than some guy on the other side of town.

Feel free to engage in the discussions at the other two blogs, but I’d also be interested in hearing what you think on the subject. If you’re a non-Calvinist, do you find yourself being more critical of Calvinism than other theological systems? If so, why? And, if you’re a Calvinist, do you have any thoughts on why other Protestants pick on you all the time?

167 Responses to “Why do non-Calvinists hate Calvinism so much?”

Calvinist upsist me when they insist that ALL is foreordained and then when I REFUSE to believe Calvinism THEY GOT A PROBLEM WITR THAT [like it is all up to me]. I think it is a hypocritical belief that is super easy to disprove in real time.

I am not a 5-pointer in the traditional sense, but I have many theological sympathies with Calvinists. I think most are turned off by Calvinists because 1) those who tout the Calvinist brand do so loudly and non-Cs find this offensive, and 2) we tend to prize our free will above anything. It’s offensive, then, to think that in matters salvific to think that it doesn’t all fall on my plate.

At one point last year I read an explanation that was an alternative to either position. I don’t remember the details (and I think there is more than one), but I find the whole topic to be divisive and a waste of time (just like Eschatology ).

Eschatology IS OFTEN a waste of time when Christians don’t recognize or won’t stick to parameters. Of the minor positions, Atavist Bible eschatology attempts to stay within the contemporary parameters; I would not think any subject properly understood would be a “waste of time.”

Why is Calvinism disdained/hated?
a) Calvinists in America like to fight and often betray their theology by being self-righteous about their theology (see Jason’s point 1).

b) Disproportionate influence based on size, I think is another motivation. In America, for example, the OPC, PCA, URC all together don’t make half a million people in their congregations. But in evangelicalism anyway, the Calvinists are pretty bright and influential lights. And always have been.

c) While I am not saying that Calvinists are the smartest folks (we aren’t) we are often more theologically comprehensive than other Evangelicals. My congregation has many folks in it that are not “Calvinist,” and one of the comments I have heard from them when talking about Scripture and theology, “Presbyterians have an answer for everything.” That can feel arrogant (even if it is not) and suffocating. Sometimes it is arrogance by Calvinist. Sometimes it isn’t Calvinists who are arrogant.

d) Anti-intellectualism. Calvinists talk (a lot) about what Scripture teaches (i.e. doctrine), and very often Evangelicals despise doctrine and are more committed do a certain sentiment than to a confession of what we believe, why, and how it makes a difference for ordering our lives.

I’m not a Calvinist (not a 5 pointer anyway, and certainly not a 7 pointer). My experience is that just saying this sentence is enough to get many of my friends worked up into an angry theological lather which requires them to “convert” me. It gets really old. Especially when this often means quoting at length from reformed thinkers rather than scripture. I actually had someone tell me once that if I allowed them to talk to me for an hour that I would be a Calvinist by the end. As if I was ignorant of the theological backing for Calvinism and once I understood it, it would all make perfect sense because “that’s what the Bible says.” So for me it boils down to a few practical things:

1) An overemphasis on the issue that causes it to become some central tenant of Christianity rather than one of the several orthodox treatments of providence.

2) A passionate necessity to convince others that this is the correct point of view.

3) The appearance of not listening to the other possible theological solutions.

I will add that from a pastoral point of view, I dislike the way some people roll out their theology (i.e. “Don’t waste your cancer”). Some people have found that really helpful, but there are plenty of others who find themselves living under a lot of guilt because of their emotional reactions to hardship in life because they’re not believing that God is doing what is best for them when they are dealing with the aftermath of some horrific event. I’m not saying that other systems of providence don’t have similar issues pastorally, just that I’ve run into more of the Calvinist stuff in my experience.

All that to say… I don’t hate Calvinism or Calvinists. In fact, oddly enough, most of my disciples over the years have become hard core Calvinists. And I don’t care, it’s a perfectly acceptable system, and I don’t try to convince them out of it. What I dislike is when it becomes some sort of litmus test of being a Christian, or a good theologian, or a smart person, or someone who truly understands the scripture. That is stupid.

p.s. Also. I dislike it when there are two guys in every seminary class who have to constantly bend any classroom conversation toward discussing reformed theology. I am pretty sure the Lord’s secret will is for me to kick them with my boots. In love.

Marc: I’m not a Calvinist but I appreciate Calvinism. I disagree strongly with its soteriology, for sure, but I’ve learned so much from Reformed theologians over the years that I could never say I hate their system wholesale. Jason makes a good point though, in that, many folks simply dislike loud and brash “Calvinists.” I place the term in scare quotes because (sadly) the most vocal majority are folks who have learned what the acronym TULIP stands for and little else. They then proceed to shout TULIP at the top of their lungs with untempered zeal, while decrying all non-”Calvinist” Christians as heretics (at worst), or ignorant & confused (at best). But I know plenty of real Calvinists, who know that there’s more to Reformed theology than TULIP, who are also annoyed by these zealots.

Jason: I think your second point unintentionally highlights a reason that non-Calvinists have a problem with Calvinism. You said, “we tend to prize our free will above anything. It’s offensive, then, to think that in matters salvific to think that it doesn’t all fall on my plate.” (bold mine) Calvinists commonly caricature non-Calvinist soteriologies as being “man-centered” or having man as the “source” or “author” of salvation. Most (and certainly all that I’ve ever come across) non-Calvinists acknowledge that God is the source/author of salvation and that man simply cooperates with God in receiving/accepting Christ by simply saying, “yes,” to God’s free offer of salvation. Now I don’t think you meant to caricature non-Calvinist thought on the issue, but I know many Calvinists who have done/do exactly that.

Before I get into my comment, I should say that like Brian I’m a bit of a theological mutt. I probably read Barth too much to be a good Calvinist, but I lean that way more than any.

I think it’s interesting that there have been so many comments on the general attitude of Calvinists and how that turns people off. That leaves me wondering why. And, I can only come up with two possibilities. Either (1) there’s something inherent in Calvinism or Calvinist churches that actually produces or attracts a disproportionate number of people who come across in negative ways, or (2) there’s something about the Calvinist system that strikes people as arrogant/prideful no matter how winsomely you present/represent it. And, of course, there’s always the possibility that it’s a combination of the two.

The second possibility is what I think Pat was touching on with his third comment and where it seems several others were going with their comments about Calvinists always needing to be right. This perspective seems to suggest that there’s something in the very comprehensiveness of Calvinism that lends itself to coming across as arrogant and closed-minded, especially in a modern context that devalues theological conviction and decries absolute positions.

My first reaction was to reject the first possibility entirely. Surely it can’t be the case that Calvinism actually produces or attracts more obnoxious people than other theological systems. As I reflected some more, though, I began to see things a little differently. We’re all broken people. That means that if a theological system has a propensity toward any particular error, a good number of us will push it that way. So, while theological coherence and consistency is one of Calvinism’s greatest strengths, broken people raised in that system can easily make it a weakness when it they use it to be closed-minded or prideful. In the same way, other theological approaches that value, for example, “mystery” or “experience” can be used by broken people to jettison all sense of theological conviction or commitment.

So, I guess I’m saying that maybe Calvinists get criticized more at times because they really are more obnoxious (in certain ways) than other groups. And this is a product of the theological system itself, when brought into contact with sinfully broken people. That doesn’t make the system wrong, it just demonstrates one of its weaknesses (and we all have them).

Nick: Thanks for the comment. My use of “we” extends to all Christians, Calvinist or other. I didn’t intend to pigeonhole non-Calvinists as “man-centered” soteriologically, just to point out my particular observations from non-Calvinists with whom I’ve interacted on the matter. Granted, my observation is based on interaction with less informed proponents of the other side, but I only intended to offer a response based on my interactions. You’re certainly right in that caricature is a primary weapon on both sides of the issue and I certainly don’t want to be guilty of such a thing.

Even without caricaturing, I think we can agree that many have bought into modernistic notions of free will and personal autonomy that cause them to react negatively to almost any presentation of Calvinism. Nick’s right to point out that this isn’t why thoughtful non-Calvinists do so, but it happens at the popular level quite frequently.

If Calvinism is true, don’t you THINK God is the one directing people to buy into”modern notions of free will”? Who else could it be? For anything to happen and for God to remain sovereign, he has to be the man behind the curtain, and no one else. This is what I mean by Calvinists wanting to have their cake and eat it too. Man has nothing to do with Arminiansm or Open Theology (or whatever), it is GOD who is directing all decisions and all trends and all motions and all sins—if Calvinism is true. And then the kicker is this:To get his “glory” he’s going to burn all the ones who did what they did forever–when he is the author and sovereign of their every though, decision and act. I find that extremely objectionable!

I agree with wounded; as to Catholicism-being of Catholic of the Roman Rite-I would suggest that Catholicism defends the true teachings of Christ and the Apostles-not only obsessing on St. Paul-that the will of a human being is weakened or flawed by original sin but through the grace of God won by the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God calls all to be saved and provides them with the grace to accept Him by faith and live the life of a Christian in hope and love.

Let me make a Catholic critique of Protestantism in general: I suggest it is odd to keep talking about the gospel yet on almost any Protestant site you would think St. Paul invented Christianity-they jump over the gospels and acts and land into the epistle to the Romans.

Probably. For some it is a cop-out to discussing matters of truth (“Well, of course you won’t understand. You’re not part of the elect. Satan has blinded you.”). But I am not sure if this can be avoided.

Mark, I’m not a Calvinist, and I blog along side of Brian LePort, and he is a self-professed Calvinist, so he thinks.

I have no problem with Calvinist, what so ever. Most Calvinist, that have humility are great to be around, but I can say that about any group in general. It all depends on ones attitude and how they respect other positions that are possible conclusions.

Robert, thanks for stopping it. It’s good to see another of the Near Emmaus triumverate in this neck of the woods. And, I’m not sure that your perspective on Calvinism counts. If you can get along with Brian on a regular basis, you must have a supernatural level of patience. The rest of us will just have to watch in amazement.

My short answer is because Calvinism is correct and the most faithful theological framework to Scripture. (This statement thus fulfills my obligation as a Calvinist to be loud, brash, arrogant and offensive.) I agree with many of the comments, most specifically the one that speaks of Calvinists as being arrogant. An arrogant Calvinist is an oxymoron! However, we should contend for truth vigorously, which is what most Calvinist “perceive” they are doing.

There are three other reasons:
1) The Armenian wants to protect libertarian free will. (Pat and others mentioned this) In their view, this allows God to hold men culpable for sin. It was their free will choice.

2) The Armenian wants to protect God. If God ordains all things, and the Arminian view of libertarian free will is not biblical (as Calvinists claim) then God is unjust (The whole Rom. 9:19 argument).

3) Regardless of what is claimed, ones view of God has IMMENSE implications, especially concerning his sovereignty in salvation and suffering. A.W. Tozer said it best, “The most important thing about a person is what they believe about God because they will spend the rest of their life responding to that perception.” (paraphrase) Calvinism and Arminianism post two very different views. For Calvinist, the Armenian view of God is of one who is powerless and little. And (as WoundedEgo has submitted) the Arminian views the God of Calvinism as cruel and arrogant. Both will claim that the other side just doesn’t understand.

I don’t think anyone here is Armenian, at least I don’t think none of you were born in Armenia? If you were please let us know.

Bcash32, The correct spelling is Arminian, and we are not trying to protect libertarian free will, we are simply trying to protect our understanding of what the scriptures say, which we believe it says that God is loving and just. It’s these sorts of misrepresentation that get old. Just wondering what books have you read by Arminian theologians?

Of course, everyone agrees that God is loving and just. So, non-Calvinists don’t get to stake out the moral high ground on this one. The debate comes after that as we try to understand what that means, how we uphold God’s goodness and power while still wrestling with the problem of evil, and what it means to say that humans make morally responsible decisions (everyone agrees with this too).

And, I think we’re kidding ourselves if we don’t think views of free will come into play here. Of course, everyone is trying to make the best sense of Scripture. But one of the ways in which we do this is through particular understandings of what it means to say that humans make choices and are held responsible for this. Arminians and Calvinists disagree on this point, and it’s something that has to be brought into the discussion.

I was also going to make a snarky comment about Billy’s anti-Armenian rhetoric and ask if he also had problems with other ethnic groups. But I didn’t get there fast enough.

Arminius was almost certainly murdered by Athanasius and his gang of thugs. Servetus – put to death by fire by Calvin (acting under order by the Pope). JWs are universally condemned as devils (despite their evident conscientiousness in many areas of Christian behavior)…

I can’t stand Calvinism because even though there are obviously texts that support both Arminianism and Calvinism (although I think much more for Arminianism), Calvinists choose to go with the less desirable system that has a hard time not making God seem like a monster, puppet master, or narcissistic. And then they make it seem like they had no other choice, that they were just following the Bible wherever it lead no matter how difficult it was to accept. It sounds like trying to be a theological martyr or something.

I don’t typically find myself in the position of defending Calvinism, but let’s make sure that we’re being fair here. It’s not like Calvinists are inventing a concept of God (e.g. a horrible monster-God who eats people and kicks puppies) and then tries to come up with some way of inserting him into the biblical texts. If we’re going to invent a God, let’s go with a God who hands out lollipops and gives free llama rides whenever you want. Calvinists are offering what they legitimately see as the best interpretation of the biblical texts. You may not agree, but let’s not suggest that they’re simply forcing their preconceived notions on the text. (At least, let’s not suggest that they’re doing this any more than the rest of us do.)

Robert, thanks for the correction on the spelling. Thought I caught them all.

As for the defending “what the Scripture says” remark, Calvinists claim to be doing the exact same thing. (Since you took my comments to imply otherwise, are you now implying that Calvinists do not say that God is loving and just?) I don’t argue, nor did I claim, that Arminians don’t believe that God is loving or just (Thus I’m not sure where the “misrepresenting” remark came from). I think that was exactly my second point above, that Arminians want to protect the just-ness of God in their view, which they perceive Calvinism as undermining. (Just so you know I also don’t claim that Arminians are Pelagian.)

Also, are you claiming that Arminians do not try to defend a particular view of free-will that they perceive is implicit in their understanding of “Scriptures they are trying to protect”? (…”we are not trying to protect libertarian free will…”) If so, then you would be the first Arminian I’d met that was not. With most Arminians I’ve met and read, what is at stake in their view is the freedom of choice for man to be held culpable for his actions. Let me know if I’m incorrect, and this is not a major tenet in Arminian theology (Conditional Election).

As for reading Arminian theologians, that would include guys like Roger Olson and John Wesley. I recently finished Jack Cottrell’s book, “What the Bible says about God the Ruler.” I thought it was excellent. One of the few Arminian theologians I’ve read that was clear, to the point, and tried to be biblically faithful to the text. I thought many of his arguments were compelling. In the end, I just didn’t agree with him.

For the record also, I don’t hate Arminians and don’t think you have to be Calvinist to be saved. I’m sorry if my comments came across as the epitome of the “Arrogant Calvinist.” My attempt at sarcasm in the opening of my initial post may have been lost on me. I should have heeded Marc’s blog about that last week.

I’m sure Robert’s point was that it’s not a particular view of free will that’s at the center of the debate for Arminian’s, but Scripture. Calvinists often make it sound like a philosophical pre-commitment to a particular view of free will is really what’s driving the system. Arminians rightly object.

I’d also have to say that your comment about Cottrell being “One of the few Arminian theologians I’ve read that was clear, to the point, and tried to be biblically faithful to the text” is unlikely to win you any Arminian friends.

I’m not talking about inventing whatever God we want. I’m talking about formulating our view of God based on scripture (which is why the puppy kicking God or lollipop giving God aren’t real options) and I believe both theological systems have done that. My point was when the scripture gives you two different options (and it is obvious that scripture supports both views although I think Arminianism much more), why not go with the one that’s more desirable and less hard to swallow? Why go with Calvinism when it seems to have more difficulties and seems to have a hard time not making God seemlike a monster, puppet master, or narcissistic (not to Calvinists of course). That just ends up seeming like theological martyr-ism to me: picking the more difficult theological option when you really don’t have to.

I have in mind something like what Charles Cosgrove describes in the introduction of the book The Meanings We Choose: Hermeneutical Ethics, Indeterminacy and the Conflict of Interpretation:

Today we confront indeterminacy as the hermeneutical situation in which ‘applying a given interpretive question and a given publicly­ shared method (or set of methods) yields more than one reasonable interpretation’. This calls for self-awareness about the way we choose one interpretation over another for constructive Christian use. Here our decisions almost invariably depend on ‘extra-exegetical’ considerations. Our own sense of ‘equity’ (or ‘justice’) is likely to inform our judgments. Adjudicating between competing reasonable interpretations also calls for taking into account other values and interests; in this way we take responsibility for the meanings we choose, subjecting to scrutiny not only our exegetical rationales (as critical methods demand) but also the usually hidden factors that incline us toward one interpretation and not another.

Cosgrove is talking about biblical texts specifically but I think it also applies to the theological systems we hold to. Do we have an ethical responsibility to choose one theological system over the other if both have good support in scripture? And further, why would you choose the one that is more difficult to hold to, especially if you don’t have to?

Bcash32, no need to apologize, i didn’t think you came off as a arrogant Calvinist. I’m glad that you have read Roger Olson, Jack Cottrell is also good, but can be a bit extreme on other views. I think that if more people would take the time to read and understand the opposing position, and respect their conclusions, I think we woukd have more meaniful discussions. I have also read many books by Calvanist theologians. In the end like you I just don’t agree with the Calvinist position.

I need to get going, preaching tonight at my church, I’ll try and follow up later tonight. If I get a chance I’ll try an explain by what I meant by ”we are not trying to protect libertarian free will…”

Bryan, thanks for the clarification. I think the way you present it in your last comment is very helpful. In a debate that has lasted as long as this one has, it’s clear that both sides have legitimate, possible interpretations of Scripture. And, understanding why a person goes one way or the other is a complex task. I’m not familiar with the Cosgrove work you cite, but I’ll have to check it out.

But, I still think we need to be careful how we describe each position. Both sides have a tendency to acknowledge that the other side’s interpretation might be “possible,” but they’ll then go on to characterize it in such a way that only an idiot would possibly choose that approach. So, you end up with the “monster” God of Calvinism and the “weak” God of Arminianism. If we’re going to say that both interpretations are legitimately possible, I tihnk we need to work hard to present them as plausibly as possible.

I knew it was only a matter of time before the discussion took a turn into a debate about Calvinism v. Arminianism itself. Interestingly, it was a ~Calvinist who took the stereotypical Calvinist role by doing some rhetorical chop-blocks and name calling that got it going. Are you sure you’re not really Reformed, WE?:-) [Please don't answer]

As a credentialed Calvinist (note: Leport has too much self-doubt – Calvinists doubt others!:-); Marc admitted that he is a watered down version (immersed not sprinkled, btw) and Barthian to boot; and Billy, well he’s a Texas Baptist – not to be trifled with but still too nice to fit the bill), let me say that it is too bad that “Calvinist” is the short-hand for “strong-predestinarian.” We miss more than we gain with that designation.

Calvin himself is recognized as one of the pre-eminent theologians of the Holy Spirit in Western theology; he has a robust, vital view of the sacraments; and rich teaching on union with Christ. The other stuff is important, but it bogs down sometimes and gets people to proving “total depravity” in spite of their intentions.

I’m catholic (not Roman) and whilst I do not hate Calvinists proper (those that follow Calvin’s theology). I don’t like hyper-calvinism and its ugly God concept. Particularly it’s limited and substitutionary atonement. I think Victor Christus is nearer the truth, but that’s just my opinion.

Also another problem I think stems with God chosing only an elected few. I could be wrong, but I don’t find it very Christocentric, nor the heart of the Gospel (John 1:29, 3:16)

Of course the problem with hyper Calvinism as portrayed per se nowsadays, is always focussing in on predustbination and the obsession over John 6:44 and of course the inerrancy of Scripture. I’m sure than Calvin didn’t, he quite happily suggested that Matthew was wrong in Matt 27:9.

Another problem for me is hard determinism from a theological perspective it does seems to be very calvinistic, and very 18th Century. It doesn’t allow God to use randomness and chance, or for Him to exercise His free will, thus having true Sovereignty.

>>>…1) Jesus Christ is the Electing God
2) Jesus Christ is the Elected Human….

The election of Jesus is a good case in point on the *scriptural* notion of “election.”

Psalms 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

What this demonstrates is the election is something builders do. It is a Greek word, not a magic Calvinist word. A builder, when building a building, would select a **suitable** material for their project. One wouldn’t “elect” stubble for a skyscraper building material (in most cases). And when it was time to select a cornerstone, the builders didn’t think Jesus was a good choice. The reasons are not given, but apparently they did not esteem him a good fit. However, for God’s purposes, he made the perfect fit.

James had some picky builders:

James 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

The poor suit God’s purposes better than the rich do. That isn’t to say that every poor person ultimately becomes converted, but:

Matthew 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Mark 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Etc.

Romans 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Why? It was not suitable for God’s purposes for the younger to serve the elder, because he wanted to paint a picture of the elder serving the younger.

Pharaoh was of the perfect temperment for God’s purposes, so he was God’s elect.

So, to be elect, one must be suitable for God’s purposes:

2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Pat’s got a great point on how narrow this conversation tends to be. Of course, that was determined largely by the fact that the question focused on what annoys people about Calvinism. Regardless, it is sad how little non-Calvinists talk about the tremendous strengths and theological resources of Calvinism. Maybe we should have a follow-up post on “What do non-Calvinists appreciate the most about Calvinism?”

John, I think your point fits very well with Pat’s. This post and the ensuing discussion was really about exploring how and why people react to a label “Calvinist,” and people who wear that label in particular ways. I think labels are unavoidable (and unavoidably problematic), but you’re right that we need to be very careful with them.

I would also like to point out to Pat that I never claimed to be a “Barthian.” I like to read Barth, but I’m pretty sure that’s different. I also like to read Neil Gaiman, but I’m definitely not a Gaimanian. Of course, a true Barthian could never actually say that he/she was a Barthian anyway, since a good Barthian would reject such an abstract allegiance to a theoretical “system.” So, I’m not sure my denial helps much.

Yep. I would expect a real Barthian to say he isn’t – and then acknowledge the quandry of either affirming or denying it, thus proving the dialectical nature of their position, and their Barthian bona fides. That was too easy, Marc:-)

Phoebs, thanks for your comments. Since substitutionary atonement isn’t limited to Calvinists, I’m not sure that plays as big a role here. But I can definitely see how limited atonement could be off-putting to many, especially if it wasn’t presented well. And, I think it’s interesting that you identified an inadequately christocentric theology as a reason for being upset with Calvinism. That’s one that hadn’t been brought up before, but it would make Barth happy, since that was his biggest frustration as well.

Why do non-Calvinists hate Calvinism so much? Good question! Speaking for myself I don’t hate Calvinists but I’ve found it extremely painful to read their Blogs and online rantings.

If it wasn’t for the redeeming person of Jesus in their mist I am sure all non-Calvinist (like Open Theists, Arminians, Lutherans) would have been tared & feathered a long time ago, if not outright lynched and simply hanged.

Most Calvinist (online) reminds me of Al-Qaeda – not the body of Christ. Since they have “The Truth” about every aspect of God, Jesus and the Word of God there is not, apparently, any need for humility whatsoever. It’s disgusting.

Wounded Ego, I’ve been pretty patient so far, but I am going to have to ask you to reign it in. I’ve never had to shut someone down on this blog, and I’d hate to start now. But, I also don’t want to have one person dominating the discussion and engaging in rhetoric that is clearly not conducive to quality dialog. So, I am asking you to moderate the tone of your posts or participate somewhere else.

And just to be clear, the only commenting policy that we have on this blog is whether or not I think the comments are contributing to what I think the purposes of the blog are. I realize that sounds self-centered, but I’m okay with that.

I just stumbled across this site, but as a rather neutral observer with not a lot at stake in the argument, it is interesting to me that many of the Calvinists in this thread speak of Arminians not wanting to hear “the truth”. I don’t think most Calvinists are arrogant per-se, but there does seem to be, at least among most of my Calvinist friends, a general unwillingness to be open to the possibility they might be wrong, or at the very least that someone else might have a viewpoint that is also plausible. I think for most non-Calvinists it is the implicit, rather than the explicit arrogance of Calvinists (as opposed to Calvinism) that is most off-putting.

Paul said of the Corinthians that they tended to be the poor and uneducated, because the gospel is tailored to such:

1 Cor 1:
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

This is not a rule, but I’ve noticed that Presbyterian and other Reformed Churches tend to be populated by lawyers and doctors, software professionals, seminarians and such – middle class and above. Mostly Republicans. Mostly white. Their activities are mostly geared to sedentary men.

I believe that this is because Calvinism is a philosophy that springs from Platonism, and as such is extremely cerebral. This is not as interesting to the poor and uneducated.

Reformed Churches are boring, useless affairs. Those who like to throw around terms like “Ordo Salutis” or “Sola Scriptura” and compare Zwingli to Luther are completely titillated by their faux brilliance and sophistry.

And they tend to consider those who “don’t get it” on the outside of their Taliban like clique.

I do not hate any Calvinist. On the contrary I find that the Calvinists tend to think we non-calvinist (not arminian) have not as yet been “enlightened.” That smacks of elitism on their part. Like being elected make them of higher spirituality, intelect and closer to God. That is hogwash of the prodigal son type hogwash.

God granted repentence to we Gentiles in the book of Acts. Jesus said, if I be lifted up I will draw ALL men unto me. Only in Calvinism does all not mean all.

Calvinism is nothing but Augustinianism. I am not Roman Catholic, so I cannot and will not be a part of any “doctrine” by one of the 4 founding fathers of Catholicism. “Calvinism” was not taught by the early church, as Augustine thought this up. It was not taught by the true church for 1000 years until John Calvin. The same John Calvin while hating the pope, hated Baptist and put to death many of my fore-fathers and mothers of the faith. John Calvin believed that one must keep the sacraments in order to be saved. John Calvin believed in the perpetual virginity of Mary. John Calvin was an unrepentant murder of at least 50 people. No where in scripture are we to put to death any one who believes contrarty to us or what scripture says. John Calvin also believed in Baptisimal Regeneration. If so…then John Calvin has been in Hell some 500 years or so.

While I hate no Calvinist, as my very best friends is Calvinist and I believe very confused as to the man Calvin. Before one believes the teachings of any but Jesus, you better understand ALL of what the man taught.

Peace to all true believes in the death, burial and ressurrection of our Lord Jesus and have received him by faith through His marvelous grace.

Where in the Bible KJV or other wise does it say: Jesus only died for the elect?

Where in the Bible KJV or other wise does it say: Total depravity is a condition that renders the human brain to be unable to choose? Total Depravity is a condition of the heart of man, not our brains.

Adam and Eve had free will. God told them not to partake of the forbidden fruit and even warned them of the consequences. But the choice was left up to them and also said consequences.

There are a couple of things about some of the more recent comments on this that I find interesting. Calvinists have been critiqued several times for their arrogance and unwillingness to consider (fairly) the positions of other people. But I have to say that some of the anti-Calvinist comments exude exactly the same attitude that they decry. Even if the criticism of Calvinists is fair, I don’t think the answer is to make the same mistake louder.

I also find it interesting that several seem to be presuming that I am myself a Calvinist. I’m way too much of a theological mutt for that label to stick very well. I didn’t ask this particular question because I’m a Calvinist, but because I found the question interesting.

You know, i’m not a “calvinist” but i’m a born again bible believing christian by the grace of God and the bible speaks clearly the doctrine of predestination plain and simple in ephesians 1:4-11 in all versions from the KJV all the way to the ESV, NASB, NIV,NLT and finally the most literal version; YNG (Young’s literal translation). I will use the most literal translation which is YNG so that noone can say that it is not written in God’s word.

EPHESIANS 1:4-11 “according as He did choose us in him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love, having foreordained us to the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He did make us accepted in the beloved, in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the remission of the trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, in which He did abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,having made known to us the secret of His will, according to His good pleasure, that He purposed in Himself, in regard to the dispensation of the fulness of the times, to bring into one the whole in the Christ, both the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth — in him; in whom also we did obtain an inheritance, being foreordained according to the purpose of Him who the all things is working according to the counsel of His will,” (YNG)

I also am congregating in a new church and after service today i just came up to someone to ask them if they believed in reformed theology, not in an arrogant or haughty way but i asked because i just wanted to see how the members of the church reacted to this form of theology. To my surprise the first thing that splurted out of the rude mouth of the person that i kindly and humbly asked a simple question was “how dare you start a conversation with a question like that!!!!”.

It was as if i had asked her to kill somebody or something and she even started yelling at me to the point where i had to raise my voice and rebuke her and tell her that she was bieng rude. In the end i didn’t wait for her to come to me but as Christ taught us i went to her and gave her my handshake and told her sorry to mention “reformed theology” and told her that i love her still.

I understand her though because i was also very hostile to this theology when i first heard it. All by the grace of God and all to the Glory of God. On the contrary of what many people say here; I have seen very rude people that oppose reformed theology and i have seen very humbled and broken people that accept it. The doctrines of grace don’t make us arrogant because that is just plain stupid. The doctrines of grace actually humbles us more and motivates us to live holy and set apart lives for Jesus Christ and to love our enemies because if it wasn’t for God’s grace we would still be like them (lost and without hope).

Hey Anthony, thanks for the comment. I was particularly intrigued by your experience at church. It’s exactly that kind of reaction to Reformed theology that got me to write this post in the first place. That was an interestingly strong reaction to an apparently simple question.

And, I completely agree that the doctrines of grace should lead us all to be more humble and loving. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way. If nothing else, I hope this discussion helps us see the need to be ever-vigilant against theological pride.

Paul says that his purpose in writing is to give the believer the destiny to which they have been called:

Eph 1:17 …That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power…

In other words, “You’ve believed and stand saved. Is that it?”

Ephesians speaks of “grace” to let the believers know that “Christ” is like a train; you “get on,” and it takes you to a destination.

There is nothing in the forgiveness of sins that suggests that one who is forgiven then gets any favors. For example, in our country, when you “serve your debt to society” in our prison systems, they merely give you back your belongings, open the door, and then shut it behind you. God could have done the same thing. “Okay, you believed, I counted it for righteousness and now you have no more sin. Goodbye.”

But God didn’t just do that. Those who believe are then adopted, and enter into the delights of favor he bestows:

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom ***also*** we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Ephesians is describing this new destiny in which one who believes participates. It isn’t about arbitrariness. It is about “us [who are, because of faith] in him.”

Yeah Marc, thanks for the feedback. If you felt intrigued by reading it imagine how i felt by experiencing it. I never experienced that in my life but now i know that i shoudn’t mention reformed theology to anyone unless i really know them well or unless they come to me about it.

Also, you said “It’s exactly that kind of reaction to Reformed theology that got me to write this post in the first place”. So did you also get a reaction like that before?

It’s humbling but oh well…… I can stay humble because I know i woudn’t have known about predestination if the LORD hadn’t predestined it…lol…. So i just feel like I deserve to be trampled on if that’s what it takes to be conformed to the image of Christ because isn’t that what we were predestined for…..to be conformed to the image of Christ?

I believe God’s children learn from all experiences because everything works out for good for those who love God.

Thankfully neither Calvin nor Armenius are prophets or apostles and neither of their writings, beliefs or conjectures are inspired.

There is a free will given by a sovereign God; but His foreknowledge doesn’t not negate man’s free will.

He is a God of love, not some capriocious child whom selects one for heaven, one for hell, one for heaven, one for hell…you get the picture.

Adam and Even weren’t created robots and were given a choice, just as we were when the Lord gave us entrance into this earth.

“Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of Salvation.”

Salvation is by grace, through faith, totally apart from the law or any other works-based system.

The true Calvinist cannot know true God given peace because he doesn’t know if he was chosen or not; for, as Calvin says, you cannot trust your own heart. And the true Arminianist cannot know true God given peace for he does not know if he has commited the unpardonable sin and therefore has lost his salvation.

Keep in mind that words like elect, foreknew, predestinated, called, chosen, etc. CANNOT be used interchangable for they are NOT synonymous. These words have unique meanings. Furthermore, examine and research what the believer is brought into when these words are used. These words simply are not used of unbelievers. The instant I am saved, I come into the good of all the “elect, foreknew, predestinated, called, chosen, etc” stuff connected with those words.

““And what I said shortly afterwards: ‘For it is ours to believe and will, but His to give to those who believe and will, the power of doing good ‘through the Holy Spirit’ through whom ‘charity is poured forth in our hearts’ (Rom. 5:5) is indeed true; but by virtue of this rule [‘The same God…works all in all’] both are His, because He Himself prepares the will (Prov. 8:35), and ours also because we do only what we will.”

Calvinism denies that sinners are the master of their destiny and sinners don’t like it. Calvinism is also making a major comeback and is rocking the boat of the free-willers. At least one third of Southern Baptist graduates from seminary are Calvinists and now inroads are happening in Methodism. Men will continue to curse Calvinism and God will continue to spread it. If the Lord is preparing a major move,He will look to the Calvinists,just like He did in the Reformation.

Modern Calvinism has little to do with John Calvin and his theology. He was a four pointer; though TUIP doesn’t have the same ring to it as TULIP does.

Its been my observation that a lot of modern Calvinists; Restless Reformed (RR) believe that the Gospel is actually their “systematic theology” And this is what you must believe to be saved….

there is a huge peer group pressure to conform and therefore there is passion to ensure that one is personally remains within the clan.

One of the interesting things I have observed about Calvinism is in their selectiveness in how they use the church fathers to proof text; and yet will vigorously oppose the fathers in the next breath if they support something that they don’t hold to.

Take Augustine as an example.. he wrote more about the ongoing personal experience and outworking of the Holy Spirit (in a charismatic way – City of God) then he did about any form of limited atonement….

Also John Calvin also wrote about the experiential nature of the Holy Spirit and his own experience of prophecy…. so it would appear that there is a push for a certain interpretation of sola scripture by the restless reformed that is not supported by Scripture or by the church fathers.

Finally in my face to face interactions with Calvinists I have found them to be warm and courteous… to rude and obnoxious… I have found RC’s and people from other denominations to be the same.

Finally when it comes to theological obnoxiousness; it would appear that Young Earthers would be more so than Calvinists are.. when it comes to theological differences.

Brief history
In the 5th century BC the dominant theologian of the time was Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo in North Africa, The mountain of his writing shaped the church which is now known as the Catholic church, In15xx an Augustinian monk sparked a major revolution in church history which became known as the Reformation, The most dominant leader of the reformation was a man named John Calvin who wrote the book “The institute of the Christian Religion”. The ideas in this book dominate high reformed thought to this day. In 1618 two Dutchmen published 5 disagreements with the prevailing reformed theology. This became known as the remonstrance. Today, denominations in Europe are based either on the high reformed thinking or line themselves with the remonstrance position.
Since the remonstrance a gargantuan amount has already been said and written about the difference between the opposing positions. The fundamental ideas on both sides seems to be derived from understanding or interpretation of the idea of ‘ORIGINAL SIN’
Therefore this study is largely a trawl through to Old and New Testaments to compare reformed views with actual biblical evidence.
All Bible quotations are from the authorized King James Version

2 The Terrible Decrees

John Calvin – Condition of Babies Institutes Reference
… hence even infants bring their condemnation with them from their mother’s womb, suffer not from another’s, but their own defect….and therefore cannot but be odious and abominable to God.
Book 2, Ch 1, Section 8

“I admit that in this miserable condition wherein men are now bound, all of Adam’s children have fallen by God’s will.” Book 3, Ch 23, Section 4

God … arranges all things by his counsel, in such a way that individuals are born, who are doomed from the womb to certain death
Book 3, Ch 23, Section 6
“Again I ask: whence does it happen that Adam’s fall irremediably involved so many peoples, together with their infant offspring, in eternal death unless because it so pleased God? … The decree is dreadful indeed, I confess. Yet no one can deny that God foreknew what end man was to have before he created him, and consequently foreknew because he so ordained by his decree.” “And it ought not to seem absurd for me to say that God not only foresaw the fall of the first man, and in him the ruin of his descendants, but also meted it out in accordance with his own decision..”
Book 3, Ch 23, Section 7

John Calvin – The cause of Original Sin ?
“…it is utterly inconsistent to transfer the preparation for destruction to anything but God’s secret plan.” “..God’s secret plan is the cause of hardening.” Book 2, Ch 23, Section 1
some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and accordingly, as each has been created for one or the other of those ends, we say that he has been predestined to life or death.” Book 3, Ch 21, Section 5

“We call predestination God’s eternal decree, by which he compacted with himself what he willed to become of each man. For all are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is fore-ordained for some, eternal damnation for others.” Book 3, Ch 21, Section 5

“Therefore, those whom God passes over, he condemns; and this he does for no other reason than that he wills to exclude them from the inheritance which he predestines for his own children.” Book 3, Ch 23, Section 1
“With Augustine I say: the Lord has created those whom he unquestionably foreknew would go to destruction. This has happened because he has willed.” Book 3, Ch 23, Section 5
God not only foresaw the fall off the first man, and in him the ruin of his posterity: but also at his own pleasure arranged it.”
Book 3, Ch 23, Section 7
“Even though by God’s eternal providence man has been created to undergo that calamity to which he is subject, it still takes its occasion from man himself, not from God, since the only reason for his ruin is that he has degenerated from God’s pure creation into vicious and impure perversity.” Book 3, Ch 23, Section 9

Calvin’s Contradictions
Fall decreed by God Fall NOT decreed by God
“…salvation is freely offered to some while others are barred from access to it”. Book 3, Ch 21, Section 5

“We call predestination God’s eternal decree, by which he compacted with himself what he willed to become of each man. For all are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is fore-ordained for some, eternal damnation for others”. Book 3, Ch 21, Section 5
“…it is utterly inconsistent to transfer the preparation for destruction to anything but God’s secret plan.” “..God’s secret plan is the cause of hardening”. Book 2, Ch 23, Section 1 “Man falls according as God’s providence ordains, but he falls by his own fault”. Book 3, Ch 23, Section 8

“Even though by God’s eternal providence man has been created to undergo that calamity to which he is subject, it still takes its occasion from man himself, not from God, since the only reason for his ruin is that he has degenerated from God’s pure creation into vicious and impure perversity.” Book 3, Ch 23, Section 9

“Moreover, the Wicked bring upon themselves the just destruction to which they are destined”. Book 3, Ch 24

“The very inequality of his grace proves that it is free.” Book 3, Ch 21, Section 6
“…God could foresee nothing good in man except what he had already determined to bestow by the benefit of his election,..” Book 3, Ch 22, Section5

God “Predestines people to damnation” !! No – God “Passes Over”??
Some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and accordingly, as each has been created for one or the other of those ends, we say that he has been predestined to life or death.” Book 3, Ch 21, Section 5
“…we say that God once established by his eternal and unchangeable plan those whom he long before determined once for all to receive into salvation, and those whom, on the other hand, he would devote to destruction. …he has barred the door of life to those whom he has given over to damnation.” Book 3, Ch 21, Section 7
God not only foresaw the fall off the first man, and in him the ruin of his posterity: but also at his own pleasure arranged it.” Book 3, Ch 23, Section 7
“Therefore, those whom God passes over, he condemns; and this he does for no other reason than that he wills to exclude them from the inheritance which he predestines for his own children.” Book 3, Ch 23, Section 1

3 Reformers

3.1 Common Calvinistic Dogma

“The whole human race existed as one moral person in Adam; so that in Adam’s sin we sinned, we corrupted ourselves, and we brought guilt and merited condemnation upon ourselves. Adam’s will was the will of the species, so that in Adam’s free act, the will of the race revolted against God and the nature of the race corrupted itself.”
“Unconscious infants, dying without baptism, are damned by virtue of their inherited guilt.”
“From this condemnation no one is exempt, not even newborn children.”
Doctrine of Augustine, 5th Century A.D.

“Even children, dying un baptized, are lost.”
Martin Luther

The sin of Adam is the immediate cause and ground of inborn depravity, guilt, and condemnation to the whole human race.”
A. H. Strong, Systematic Theology

“Every man is guilty in Adam, and is consequently born with a depraved and corrupt nature. And this inner corruption is the unholy fountain of all actual sin.”
L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology

“Original sin is the corruption of man’s nature, whereby he is utterly indisposed, disabled and made opposite to all that is spiritually good, and wholly inclined to evil, and that continually.”
Larger Catechism

we assuredly gather it was His everlasting determination so to do; and consequently that He reprobated some from before the foundation of the world A W Pink ‘The Sovereignty of God pp 83-84

If then God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass then He must have decreed that vast numbers of human beings should pass out of this world unsaved to suffer eternally in the Lake of Fire.
A W Pink ‘From The Sovereignty of God in Reprobation Chapter 5

“From this original corruption whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.”
Westminster Confession

3.1 Charles Spurgeon – Grammatical Gunpowder

The following text relates to a common problem. ‘Words do not mean what they say’. This argument is often used to explain away a biblical text that is contradictory to a desired dogma. Spurgeon destroys such fallacies as shown below.

3.2 Arthur W Pink – ‘It Must be…’

Arthur W Pink’s wrote many books where his forthright views make Calvin himself look a bit soft. Never mind the secret council of God’s will. No, ‘IT MUST BE’ declares Pink.

Pinks logic is often used by modern Calvinist and directly contradicts their notion of original sin. I.E. Did Adam voluntary sin or was it prearranged?

Supra Lapsarian – Calvanist who believe God pre arranges every event and even the fall as described in Geneses was pre planned down to the very second.

Infra Lapsarian – Calvanists who believe that Adam fell by his own free will and only after this event did God pre plan who would be saved and who would be lost.

3.3 Grudem – Closet Calvinism

Modern Calvinism is the kind of Calvinism that A W Pink vigorously attacks. Pink belongs to the ‘Double Predestination’ school of thought. That is that God actively dams people to hell. I.E. Calvin’s terrible decree. This teaching often gets its proponents into a lot of heated debate and trouble. Hence it has been watered down and most modern Calvinists adhere the ‘Single Predestination’ view. That is God pre elects those who will be saved but ‘passes over’ those who wont be. The purpose of this teaching is to try and avoid the inescapable conclusion that God is the author of sin. Grudem is one of many who attempt to use circular logic to get themselves out of trouble as shown in the article below.

3.4 Summary
• Predestination is only mentioned 4 times in the Bible. Always referring to the future state of believers. The notion that every teaching has a positive and negative side, hence ‘proving’ Calvinistic predestination – has no biblical basis whatsoever.
• There is not one shred of evidence in the Bible for double or single predestination.
• The single predestination proponents still have the problem that those passed over have never had nor will have any chance of salvation. Teaching totally opposite to the Bible.
• Any version of Calvinistic predestination contradicts its own versions of the concept of original sin.

4 Born Bad or Not
4.1 The Status of Children.

The Calvinistic doctrine is that babies are born “odious and abominable” to God. The actual Biblical text not only makes no mention of this but says the opposite E.G no knowledge between good and evil. It is self evident that babies know nothing when they are born let alone the difference between good and evil. The Bible text states ‘For before the child shall know to refuse the evil’. Hence the Bible teaches that babies are born innocent, and they reach an age of accountability before they can willfully commit sin. Calvinism supports a major contradiction in that babies are born ‘Totally Depraved” (First of the 5 points of Calvinism) but are made clean by Infant Baptism. I.E. a work of man.
Jesus
Calvin’s Institutes

“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 18:3

… hence even infants bring their condemnation with them from their mothers womb, suffer not from another’s, but their own defect….and therefore cannot but be odious and abominable to God.
Book 2, Ch 1, Section 8

“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

“I admit that in this miserable condition wherein men are now bound, all of Adam’s children have fallen by God’s will.” Book 3, Ch 23, Section 4

“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16 and Luke 18:16-17

God .. arranges all things by his counsel, in such a way that individuals are born, who are doomed from the womb to certain death. Book 3, Ch 23, Section 6
Other Texts

“Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.” Deuteronomy 1:39

“Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrers shall be forsaken of both her kings.” Isaiah 7:15-16

4.3 The Human Race

“Original sin is the hereditary depravity and corruption of our nature…which first makes us subject to the wrath of God, and then produces in us works which the Scripture calls works of the flesh.” Calvin

Ecclesiastes 7:29: “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions

This text, one of many, confirms that God has NOT created man totally depraved, odious or obnoxious but as it says ‘upright’. Also ‘in his own image and likeness’. Hence without sin. The following texts show that no one is born a sinner. Born in sin meaning born into a sinful world.

Some Opposing Reformed Views
“I admit that in this miserable condition wherein men are now bound, all of Adam’s children have fallen by God’s will.” Calvin Book 3, Ch 23, Section 4
“…God could foresee nothing good in man except what he had already determined to bestow by the benefit of his election” Calvin Book 3, Ch 22, Section5

Bible

“God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…And God saw everything that he had made, and…it was very good.” Gen. 1:26, 31

“Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” Ecclesiastes 7:29

“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
Psalm 100:3

“God that made the world and all things therein…seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men…For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God…” Acts 17:24-26, 28-29

“Man…is the image and glory of God.” I Corinthians 11:7

“Men, which are made after the similitude of God.” James 3:9

5 Cause of SIn

The Bible says many times that men, having been created upright and in the image of God, have corrupted themselves not created corrupt. Or gone astray (past tense) and sinned against the good nature that God created them with. There are hundreds of texts in the Bible that speak of sin, and sin is always the evil or wickedness that the sinner has knowingly and willfully done. There are no exceptions.
“Thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doeth the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them that commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them that do such things, and doeth the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?…who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil.” Romans 2:1-3, 6-9
The following Bible verses give a completely different picture to that cast by Calvinists.
Bible

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him…And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.”

Genesis 1:27, 31

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth…And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.”
Genesis 6:5-7, 11-12

“They have corrupted themselves; They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it.” Exodus 32:7-8
“For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you.” Deut. 31:29
“They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?…Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.” Deuteronomy 32:5-6, 18

“Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”
Ecclesiastes 7:29
“They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Psalm 14:1-3
“Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Psalm 53:3
“Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men (because of your sins), and fall like one of the princes.” Psalm 82:6-7
“There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man…for from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Mark 7:15, 21-23
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
James 1:12-15

6 Inherited Sin or Not

The Bible says that man is guilty for his own sins and for his own sins alone. He is not guilty, and cannot be guilty, for the sin of Adam or any other man:
Biblical Text

“Far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked. That be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Genesis 18:25

“The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” Deuteronomy 24:16

“But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.” II Chronicles 25:4

“But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” 2 Kings 14:6

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” Ezekiel 18:20

“Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.” Ezekiel 33:20

6.1 Misused texts.

Genesis 8:21: “For the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”

Note: From youth. NOT Birth. Later texts quoted below show that the Bible teaches that Humans GO astray, not made that way.

Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
If Psalm 51:5 is to be taken literally the so must Psalm 58:3 “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” It is surely obvious that these verses are figurative. If they were taken literally as fact, they would teach contrary to reality and what is impossible. What baby has ever had the vocal chords, muscles, knowledge to do any other than cry ? NONE.
Ephesians 2:3: “And were by nature the children of wrath.”

Taken in isolation and completely out of any context and with pre conceived ideas this verse is used to ‘prove’ that babies are condemned by God from birth. ‘ Were by nature’ has nothing to do with being born. The context shows that Paul was explaining to adults there character and nature before they were converted. Notice “were by nature” is past tense.

Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

Note ‘death passed upon” NOT created dead in sin or anything remotely similar. Also ‘all have sinned’ NOT all created sinners to start with. Paul continues:- 13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

Hence Paul did not consider Adam’s sin (original sin) to be their sin. In fact Paul states some did not sin. How the can they be born sinners as Calvinists claim?

Biblical Text
Test Type

“Before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good…”
Isaiah 7:16

“When the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.”
Romans 2:14-15

7 Human Choice – Fixed or Free

NOTE: The text below is NOT intended to suggest that humans can save themselves or any Armenian type theory.

Biblical Text

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5

“For the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”
Genesis 8:21
They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee and established thee?…Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.”
Deut. 32:3-6, 18
“That he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good…”
Isaiah 7:15-16
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served.” Joshua 24:15

“Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations…they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not Isaiah 66:3-4

Genesis 5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Did the Lord predestine himself to be ‘grieved at heart’? The texts above as well as many others prove that humans are created NOT sinners but in the image of God. Then reach an age of accountability – Isaiah 7:15-16‘before the child shall know’ (also Romans 2:14-18). They can then exercise to chose ‘that in which I delighted not ‘ to ‘corrupted themselves’.
There is no biblical evidence to suggest any human was ever created for damnation as Calvin states (see Calvin’s contradictions above).

8 Conclusions

• The biblical definition of sin differs from ‘standard’ teaching E.G- “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” I John 3:4 and “For where no law is, there is no transgression.” Rom. 4:15.

• The source of sin differs from standard teaching E.G But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” Matthew 15:18-19

• The teaching that babies are born sinners or ‘Totally Depraved’ is not supported by scripture. Sin being as the Bible says doing evil knowing it to be evil! But babies really know nothing and really do nothing when they are born

• There is Biblical evidence for an age of accountability and the need for knowledge of the law to be able to sin. E.G “And your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither.” Deuteronomy 1:39. Or Sin is not imputed where there is no law. Romans 5:13.

• The Calvanistic view if not adds to Bible teaching certainly take a blinkered approach, reading ideas into the Bible. Ignoring the majority of the text. Redefining words E.G All does mean what it says. See Spurgeon’s Grammatical Gunpowder section above.

2 Peter 2: 1-9, “But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach their destructive heresies about God and even turn against their Master who bought them. Theirs will be a swift and terrible end.
In short – if it is not mentioned in the Bible then it’s not Biblical

Thanks for the comment, but let’s try to keep the length of the comments just a bit more manageable lengthwise. If this material is available online elsewhere, please provide just a link to it. Otherwise, the comments section will get even unwieldier than it already is. Thanks.

Hi everyone,
This is my first foray into a blog site. I am an unapologetic believer in the sovereignty of God. I don’t know all that Calvin or others have said. May God’s Spirit give me my understanding and not man. It grieves me to see Christians on both sides use so much venom to attack those who disagree- or say that they can’t be saved.
Doesn’t it help if we straighten out our theology first? I think it degrades our doctrine of God when we run it through the filter of our preferences, though I guess we all do it to some extent. When I see scripture that seems to say anything I am uncomfortable with, I “run it” through hopefully sound hermeneutic AND my doctrine of God, His infinite wisdom, knowledge and rule over all things- because He has ordained them (not because He learned about them and adjusted accordingly). For me this is like my compass and it gives me the right orientation when looking at scriptures that have to do with election and the will of man.

2 Tim 4:3 ” For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.They will turn their ears away from the truth…”

This is why Calvinism is so hated. Men hate the truth. Jesus was not a Calvinist. He was hated because he was the truth. Calvin was a follower of Christ. One of the greatest bible teachers of his day. He defended truth. He was hated by many as well. Jesus said we would be hated.

You are mixing metaphors. The passage is not talking about someone’s father or about dragging. As you read it, the “dragging” is irrelevant of his being lifted up, and divorced from the allusion to “with loving kindness..” It is divorced from the message. it is a physical compulsion.

The fact that he saves anyone at all is an amazing act of undeserved love. None of us deserve to be saved. I will not judge the Lord of all on why he saves some and not others. Why does he open Lydias heart and harden Judas’s . He is the potter. We are the clay. I am humbled and in awe of the fact that he saves anyone.

No great piety here…I read that God will do as He well pleases for His own glory and man will get no glory..He will have mercy on whom he will and on some he will harden their hearts..bty , I don’t think any one seeks for God except those that He has first drawn to him as per the book of John 6……Eph.1.4 acts 13.48. romans 9 and much more.

@ Chip – The “love” you attempt to illustrate with your statement “I consider a loving Father dragging his child to safety an amazing kind of love” is not really “love” that “amazing” given the fact that the father could have saved both children but for some arbitrary reason – unknown and a complete mystery – only choose to save one. Take my advice, since any normal human concept of a father love is completely at odds with your Calvinist god’s “fatherly love” do not use those kinds of human metaphors. They don’t work for what you are trying to communicate.

First you speak of “great love” and when someone says “mhm, doesn’t seem very loving to me?” your only retort is “well, it’s a mystery”. How do you know “mystery love” is really love at all since it’s a mystery? Jesus said “what father would give his son a rock when the son asks for bread?”. The answer is that “Chic’s Calvinist Father God would do just that”.

That is good question. But remember, no one is innocent. We are all sinners. Sin entered the world through one man and has spread to all. If God in his perfect justice were to send all to hell, we would receive our just punishment. He would be perfectly just in choosing to do so. But in his love he extends mercy toward some. (Romans 9;14&18) I cannot explain or begin to understand Gods justice . But when i read Romans chapter 9, there is no explaining it away. Just because it may not seem to me to be fair( in my earthly , human idea of fairness) doesnt mean i get to create a different idea of God in my own mind. He shows mercy toward some , he hardens others. It is biblical truth. I dont get to pick and choose the parts of the bible that i will hold fast to. You must accept it all as truth or none of it. I am curious….what are your thoughts on Romans chapter 9? How do you deal with that chapter?

Assuming for the sake of argument, that that is true, Im wondering… do you hold to the promises of God when he is talking in regards to the nation of Israel in the old testament? Dont we believe the old testament promises, and blessings, and apply them to the Church today? We cant pick and choose what we apply to the Jews and what we apply to the gentiles. Pauls ministry and his letters were inspired by God and written for both the Jew and the gentile , and apply to the church today. You believe that , Im sure.

@ Chip – So, now you’re saying God’s justice is a complete mystery as well? You seem to affirm the idea that God’s love and justice, as morals concepts, are incomprehensible and completely beyond human understanding. Yet, you use metaphors of “love” that make human fathers (and I am one) shudder. That is creepy, I am sorry.

If you want to learn more about alternative understandings about Romans 9 I suggest you pick up a book by a guy like Roger E. Olson or maybe get “The Grace of God and the Will of Man” by Clark Pinnock. Once you’re in the Calvinist “box” though, it’s hard, I know, to think outside of it.

So then, does God have one standard of justice for the Jewish nation , as in Romans chapter 9, and another standard of justice in dealing with gentiles? Is it just for him to harden the hearts of the Jewish nation, but unjust if he hardens the hearts of people today. Has he gotten out of the business of hardening hearts for some and opening them for others. He opened your heart to Christ. He opened mine. God closes and opens hearts. Again , this is biblical truth. Now, as to why he chooses some and not others, well … I will trust that God is God and that in his infinite wisdom , he knows what he is doing.

>>>…Is it just for him to harden the hearts of the Jewish nation, but unjust if he hardens the hearts of people today….

The hardening of the Jews was not an arbitrary divine game but was an act of judgment. Had it been rooted in arbitrariness, it would have been wicked.

For example, God caused the generation that came out of Egypt to wander in the wilderness for forty years and then die. Why? Because of their unbelief.

Now, if he had done that just for fun, then it would have been wicked.

The gentiles were not under that temporary, partical, judicial hardening. What “opens one’s heart” is not, according to scripture, God acting by fiat, but rather it is the effect of the gospel, which is “the power of God to salvation.”

@ Chip – If, as you say “Human metaphors of love are completely inadequate when we are speaking of Gods love” then why would Jesus use them? Why does Paul refer to them? What’s your take on 1 Cor. 13:4-8? If God’s love is incomprehensible, why even talk about it? You’re talking about something that doesn’t make sense. Are you sure you’re on the right track here?

Leo…Are you saying that Gods infinite love and his perfect justice are concepts that you have a complete knowledge of ? Are you saying that in our human , fallen state, we have the capacity to fully understand Gods love and that we are able to have a full understanding of his justice? Be careful .

quote: Take my advice, since any normal human concept of a father love is completely at odds with your Calvinist god’s “fatherly love” do not use those kinds of human metaphors. They don’t work for what you are trying to communicate.

Christ used human metaphors because he was dealing with sinful fallen man. I used it because im human. Its what i understand. But, It seems that we are getting off track. Does God harden the hearts of some gentiles today or only the Jewish nation?

@Chip – Whoaa!! So, now you’re going on the attack trying to put words in my mouth. Where have I EVER said that I, or anyone else, have “complete knowledge” of God’s perfect justice and infinite love?

I am merely pointing out that you, by your own words, writing in this thread, are saying that “Human metaphors of love are completely inadequate when we are speaking of Gods love”. Furthermore, you’re the one that says “I cannot explain or begin to understand Gods justice”.

Remember, you’re the one that started this by using a human metaphor when you said “I consider a loving Father dragging his child to safety an amazing kind of love. Don’t you?”. Next, a day later, you are saying “Human metaphors of love are completely inadequate when we are speaking of Gods love”. This is confusing.

I think it’s a fair questions to ask that if “Human metaphors of love are completely inadequate when we are speaking of Gods love” then why would Jesus use them? Why does Paul refer to them? What’s your take on 1 Cor. 13:4-8?

Instead of putting words in my mouth why not just answer those questions and explain yourself. I think you’re the one that need to be careful here.

Wounded ego…. The Holy Spirit opens hearts. In John three Jesus explains the Spirit to Nicodemus . He compares it to the wind, saying that you can not tell where it comes or where it goes , but that it goes where it pleases.

John 3 does not speak of “the Holy Spirit” at all. It speaks of the wind, which is not restricted by borders. Those who are born of the divine breath (ie: those who are born of the gospel) are likewise not confined by borders.. unlike Nick.

There is no “the Holy Spirit”… only the “breath of the holiness” or “breath of the holy one”.

I’m of the opinion that Paul taught that sects were antithetical to Christianity.

But I suspect you might not have understood me… I’m not just saying John 3 is not about “the Holy Spirit” but that there IS no such thing (in the scriptures) as “the Holy Spirit.” The whole concept of “spirit” is, IMHO, post-NT. The scriptures only speak of God’s *breath*.

Just trying to find some common ground. The deity of Christ is foundational to the gospel as far as I’m concerned. I would like to delve into the Trinity with you but this is probably not the proper time and place. I pray that your eyes and heart will be opened to the truth of God in three persons. I would love to discuss it outside of this venue.

John 1;1 ” The Word was with God and the Word was God”
John 8:58- 59 ” Before Abraham was, I AM. ”
John 14:7-11 ” Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. ”
John 20:28 ” My Lord and my God.”
Acts 20:28 ” To shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with his own blood. ”
Heb. 1:8 ” Your throne O God will last forever and ever.”
Tit 2:13 ” Our great God and Savior , Jesus Christ.”

This is a short list of verses where Jesus either claimed to be God or was called God by others. There are so many more. To many for me to list , but I will provide more if you would like them.

But rather than go tit for tat, please show me where your deity is defined (since it is not defined in scripture). When you say that “I believe in the Blessed Holy Trinity” then you really need to provide the definition of what you are asserting or else your assertion is meaningless. It is like saying “I believe in Hobduk” when you have not provided a definition of Hobduk.

I mean, the fourth gospel says a great many things, does it not?:

Joh_17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know **thee the only true God**, and Jesus Christ, whom thou [God] hast sent.

Do you not like that verse?

So it isn’t enough to point to prooftexts. I mean, in which of the verses you cite does Jesus make the claim “I am God”? But even if he had, that still doesn’t define what your concept of a “Trinity” is,does it?

So when you say “I believe in The Blessed Trinity” are you referring to that defined in the Creed of Athanasius? Where is your god described as a “Trinity”?

Thomas did not miss the memo. He knew who Jesus was. John 1:1 states that the Word , (speaking of Christ, )was God. You cant ignore the verses or brush them off with witty retort. Did John miss the memo as well?

John 1:1 is not speaking of “Christ” but rather of God’s utterance. It is referring to the “let there be xxx” utterances of Genesis 1, by which God made the sky, dry land and inhabitants.

Nor is he *identifying* the utterance as being God himself, but rather being of divine *quality* (which is all the Greek construction allows). In other words, he is saying that the utterance of Genesis 1 was “God-utterance.” Just as Paul says of all scripture that it is “God-breathed.” That does not mean that it is the *person* of God (identity) but rather the quality. Think “The unicorn was magic.” That means that the unicorn had a magical quality. That is what that means. It is a reckless leap to go from that into “one God in Three Persons.”

But as I said, you like John 1:1, but what about John 17:3 and 20:17? What about when Jesus said “We Judeans know whom we worship”?

But you still have not identified where your concept of “The Blessed Trinity”, your god, is defined, so we are still talking about a piece of jargon that has no inherint meaning.

Hey guys, it looks like you’re having a really good time with this discussion, and I’m glad. I don’t want to be a pessimist, but I don’t think it’s likely that you’re going to resolve this debate anytime in the next few minutes. So, I think the time has come for you to bring your conversation to an end or continue it via email or something. I appreciate the dialog/comments, but it’s time to wrap things up. Thanks.

I have no problems at all with John 17 and John 20. I believe in a triune God. When God came to the earth in the form of a man he took on human attributes.

Phil 2;5 ” Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ: Who being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

It is not out of the realm of possibility for God to empty himself and to take on a human form. In fact , It is what the Bible tells us he did.

I like the quote that this thread started with: “I think the main reason why so many protestant Christians have a problem with Calvinism more than issues related to Catholicism is that they see Calvinism as a plausible system.” As a Calvinist that spent the first decade of my life in Christ as a vehement Arminian, I can definetely say that in retrospect that was on my mind and didn’t want to own up to it.

Part of my disdain for Calvinism was simply buying into the rhetoric that Arminian writers threw around. I’m thinking of Charles Finney for an older writer, and Dave Hunt’s book on Calvinism for a more modern “expose” of Calvinism. Both of these writers write in a way that just feed prejudice against the Reformed position. They’re full of ad hominem arguments that are great food for an Arminian who just wants a reason to avoid a plausible interpretation of the bible.

Although, those arguments grounded in Calvinism being a “bad God” because he seeks his own glory above all else struck me as odd, and still do. Of course God seeks his own glory. Who is more glorious? What greater end could there be than the greatest being? If God seeks his own glory, then He’s doing what’s right and good. If He sought some part of the creation as pre-emiinent over Himself and His own interests, he would be making a horrible mistake in missing what’s really of value. I think it’s fair to suspect these arguments as stemming from humanism, and I think Arminians and Calvinists ought to be in agreement on that point at least.

Anyways, the other big thing that made Calvinism seem so vile is that I really only understood the basic gospel message of Jesus dying to save sinners. Jesus was it, and by “the centrality of Jesus” I understood the gospel message. My understanding of God as creator, sustainer and governor, provider and director of all of life were all things I believed, but could only see through the lens of an evangelistic message. I simply could not recognize Jesus as a cosmic governor, he was almost exclusively a savior from sin. Don’t get me wrong: that is a pretty sweet picture, but it makes the other things Jesus does (create the world, etc.) seem like not-Jesus, especially the mystery of governing all things.

The biggest thorn in my side as an Arminian was the book of Job. 9:24 “The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?”

I felt I had a better answer than Job’s sufferings with my free-will arguments, and the book of Job is one big avoidance of that option. Job presents it here as if saying: “Go on, I dare you to suggest that circumstances are governed by anyone other than God” Job’s friends don’t even bother with that option.

After a long bout of suffering, I finally had to give up Arminianism, because a God who leaves things to chance and “free choice” is a God who really has no plans or purpose in our woes. The free will arguments looked good on paper, but I found them pastorally irrelevant. In trying to rescue God from evil, they left Him distant and ignorant. It’s far easier (and biblical) to say God caused ___ event and hasn’t said why, but can be trusted that it’s for a good purpose, even the greatest purpose: His glory. My suffering ain’t about me.

How could God not cause events. If there was no God there would be no events.If God does not operate according to an eternal fixed purpose there could be no certain future.The course of history would be like a runaway train with no engineer or headlight,with no assurance the train would not fly off the tracks and disappear over the abyss.Arminian ideas of God are bizarre.Hodge called Arminianism an elastic manifold system of compromise.

Calvinism in inherently offensive to sinners. It denies man’s supreme claim that he is the master of his fate. It irritates men without measure that God is concerned with His glory and not their interests. The thought He would give to some what they don’t deserve and others what they do deserve,without then making the choice, is an abomination to them. Sinners demand a different way. We will do this for you God and you will do this for us. This is the fair way. And God tells them to take a walk. But Calvinism states truth and all sinners yield to it in the end. They don’t have a choice.

Non-Calvinists don’t hate Calvinists nearly as much as the other way around.

–That some Non-Calvinists may have written spirited pieces here or there does not constitute proof. They don’t speak for the whole, and the whole of the issue is this:

Arminians believe Calvinists are in error, but not critical error. They believe Calvinists to be fellow Christians partaking of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Calvinists, however, believe Arminians to be heretics who have denied the faith and are by definition *not* saved. They’re quick to charge heresy with immediacy, finality, and this is the key: with *no* room for the possibility of personal, interpretive, or theological error. They’ll become re-faced with hysteria and defend it to the death. They’ll take a thousand words of pseudo-theological yap yap to dance around it, but basically, if they’re honest, Calvinists believe that all non-Calvinists are going to hell. Period. Organizations like CRI basically exist in order to promulgate this belief–aggressively, almost militantly. And denominations like Calvary Chapel aren’t far behind.

God commands us to declare *Him* to be infallible. Not ourselves.

I could be wrong, but as an Arminian believer, I am outraged and the constant onslaught of elitist hate-speech put forth as “love correction”, telling me I’m a heretical non-believer in Jesus Christ, because I don’t believe my Lord slaughters babies with cancer as part of “a grand design”, or because I have the nerve to believe my Lord to provide me with a house to live in, and an automobile to get to and from work as part of my needs.

–There’s another name for such organizations that adopt this tenor and approach when declaring their own, exclusive infallibility: Cults.

I find msny Calvinists to be indifferent to and uninterested in the narrative of Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation. For example, in the Exodus narrative it is said that 3 million Israelites departed from the land of Egypt and God delivered them with a mighty hand through the Red Sea. According to the narrative it was his intention to make them a great nation. But things went wrong–not (according to the narrative) because HE wanted it to go wrong, but because THEY CHGSE to not believe. Accordingly, we read that God wanted to destroy every one of them except Moses and then make a great nation out of him (stated intention in the narrative). But Moses pleads with God not to do that. He says the Egyptians will say he only brought them out there to kill them; don’t let them say that, he urged. So God relented. But to make a long story short, God wound up killing every one of them that came out of Egypt with only TWO men–Joshua and Caleb entering into the promised land. According to the beginning of the story THAT WAS NOT HIS INTENTION but things changed accordingly as choices were being made. Calvinism does not ever address this and almost all the stories in the Bible have this ad hoc quality where God seems to reacting to the reactions and the obedience/rebellion factor in the people under his care. I am an Atavist Bible Christian and an Open Theist, by the way. God day.

Amazing. So God kills multitudes but did not intend to do so.So it was negligence or accident?Well now you have a God that is as ignorant of the future as you are.Ha,Ha.Next time you have a problem,you can pray to yourself.

I have figured out that people don’t have a problem with Calvinism at all. The problem lies with the doctrine of Eternal Torment. If Conditional Immortality aka Annihilation was the accepted position, Calvinism would be welcomed with open arms. No one has a problem with God choosing whom he will show mercy too, they only have a problem with them He chooses to be merciless. Predestination is fine and dandy when no one has to spend eternity in hell.
Its pretty ridiculous when you think about it. People hate Calvinism because it relays the idea of eternal torment without a chance of escape. And that IS the motive of the Arminians rage.
God bless

People hate Calvinism because they hate the sovereignty of God. This is an affront to man’s personal sovereignty aka ‘humanism’ which an assumed universal truth from his finite perspective. Once speculated that the fall only effected his body, maybe even his mind, but definitely not his will, you end up with man determining his own destiny as taught by the ‘new age’ cults and other religions. Interestingly enough God’s established religion of Judaism and its adherents have no problem with predestination and its ancillaries (foreknowledge, purpose, etc.) because they know they are God’s ‘CHOSEN’ people. It is too bad much of Christendom today denies this fact regarding their own salvation…….but praise God eventually we will all be on the same page come judgement day with the unadulterated knosis of Christ!

Spurgeon stated that that men would bite their lip and grind their teeth in rage when He would preach the Sovereignty of God.The same hostility was extended to Luther,Calvin,and Augustine.Paul got it in Romans nine”Why does He find fault,for who can resist His will.” And Jesus got it in John 6,when they walked away from Him. The walkers understood what He was saying-Salvation is the Father’s decision.The sinful little pots crave to control the grace and Will of the Potter.My experience is that Arminians will not yield to logic or Scripture.For whatever reasons,their hearts are closed by God’s decision.

I find Calvinism offensive, because it makes God into a monster. He creates billions of people damned before their birth to eternal torture. They have no options, because He simply does not choose to rescue them.

The only form of Reformed thought that I find to be theologically acceptable is that of those who believe in the final reconciliation of all things, or those who believe in Conditional immortality. At least those views are consistent with a God of Love, Mercy, and Justice.

The God of Calvinism is vain, angry, vindictive, unloving, and truly downright monstrous. He creates a very small subset of humanity that He chooses to loves and save, and the rest of His “children” He damns to eternal torment before they are even created. He does this for His “glory.” It pains me to have Calvinist viewpoints representing Christianity, and so, on my less charitable days, I get angry with my brothers and sisters who adhere to this doctrine.

Tammy, your allegations that God is a monster are totally unfounded. God neither creates billions of people damned before their birth to eternal torture nor does he indiscriminately send sinners to hell. Did anyone ever tell you about a man named Adam and how he used his free will to choose sin and plunge his whole race or posterity into sin and depravity. God did not force Adam and Eve to sin. They choose to do so freely and willingly. We are all sinners by nature/birth (through the original sin of Adam, as well as by choice, and justly deserve hell and spiritual death (eternal separation from God).

How could God possibly predestinate someone to go to hell who is already on his way to hell by the choice of what many popularly call “free will” (I believe unregenerate sinners have “free agency”, but not “free moral will” ). One thing is certain, the choice that unregenerate sinners make in rejecting the Gospel according to the inclination of their own sinful hearts is as free and willing as that of regenerate sinners who believe the Gospel and receive Christ in genuine repentance and faith. None of us have any claims on God’s grace for salvation. We are all sinners by birth, by nature and by choice on account of what sin, not God, has made us–spiritually dead, blind and enemies of Christ and His gospel (Eph. 2:1; 1 Cor. 2:14; Romans 8:7). God would be perfectly just in saving none. The fact that He saves any is a testimony to His amazing grace and mercy (Remember, it is free to all who will repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ to save them, but it costs God His only begotten Son (John 3:16). Election sends no one to hell, but it does get some people, who are chosen “in Christ” (see Eph. 1:4-5) into heaven, where the reverse is true of what is said in hell. Not a single soul in heaven will say “I am here because of my “free will”–because God provided salvation for all and I was willing to let Jesus save me. On the contrary, every lost sinner will blame will blame his/her own wicked heart in the day of judgment for rejecting Christ–for their lost estate. You mentioned that God is a God of love, mercy and justice. That is right, Tammy. Because God is a God of justice, as well as of mercy and love, He must punish sin. If He didn’t He would be neither loving nor just. You think about that. Scriptures are very clear that God takes no delight or pleasure in the punishment of the wicked, but sincerely desires that men everywhere turn away from sin (repentance)in faith to Jesus Christ, Who alone can save them. One can neither blame God nor election for the fact that spiritually blind and rebellious sinners refuse to come to Christ in true repentance and faith. Sinners do not come to Christ because they believe they are God’s elect–rather they find out they are God’s elect after God has brought them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Unbelief is as much a decision of the mind, will and heart , as is saving faith. Unbelief is an active faith–however, it is faith in oneself (man trying to save himself without God and His perfect plan of salvation in Jesus Christ–and on the basis of his own filthy rags of unrighteousness rather than the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ). Tammy, you, like so many, show you condemn that which you really don’t understand.

I have dis­cov­ered from many years of shar­ing my faith with many Chris­tians of dif­fer­ent per­sua­sion, usu­ally by deal­ing directly with the scrip­tures them­selves (not by argu­ing the beloved tenets of the doc­trines of grace) and by read­ing the bar­rage of crit­i­cism and attacks on same, that many, when they are not con­fus­ing the doc­trines of grace (Calvin­ism) with hyper-Calvinism, sim­ply don’t under­stand the doc­trines of grace. This is very obvi­ous just by read­ing the posts of non-Calvinists on the topic of why some Chris­tians hate Calvin­ists. Per­son­ally, hav­ing been of Armin­ian per­sua­sion myself for years before I believed in the bib­li­cal doc­trines of grace, I believe the rea­son many get upset, even angry, at Calvin­ists is that often. much to their sur­prise, they are able to show clearly that the doc­trines of grace are plainly taught in scrip­ture. I will not under­take to do that here, but please allow me to say that, unlike some of the posts I’ve read here, I don’t believe “uni­ver­sal atone­ment advo­cates are unre­gen­er­ate”, no more than I believe a sin­ner needs to believe he/she is elect before he comes to Christ for salvation–the Calvin­ists I know believed they were elect after God brought them to Christ in gen­uine repen­tance and faith for sal­va­tion. In any case, this notwith­stand­ing does not detract from the clear bib­li­cal teach­ing that the rea­son any­one believes is because he/she is cho­sen by God (see John 6:44, 65; Acts 13:48; 2 Thess. 2:13–14; John 1:13; John 6:37; 10:26; 17:2, 6,9, 11, 12, 20, 24; many more verses.

I’m not a Calvinist hater, but I do firmly oppose their theology of salvation and of God’s revealed nature and character.

The reason that I am more vocally against their beliefs, say as opposed to Catholicism, etc. – is that Calvinists claim to truly believe God’s Word and that it is God’s primary revelation to us.

Unlike Catholics, they do not put ‘tradition’ on par with Scripture (although in practice many do: bolstering their teachings with the writings of reformed men rather than standing on Scripture alone). In short, Catholicism doesn’t make the claim to be “Christian” as does Calvinism. Catholicism makes the claim to be “Catholic Christian”, and that is an altogether different thing. It’s Scripturally and spiritually bankrupt, but it’s very different.

This is the true danger: that someone would listen to the expressed high opinion in which Calvinism claims to hold Scripture, and because of this end up buying the twisted interpretations of certain passages as Calvinism teaches them – or that it is okay to practically ignore certain passages through gross redefinition of what God has said.

Marcion used the pen. Calvinism is less vulgar but more bold: they redefine Scripture truth through philosophy and presupposition. But worse than anything, they commit the sin of Eliphaz in Job: They attribute things to God that He has not attributed to Himself.

Wesley called Calvinism a “cancer”, and I think he was more right than he knew. Cancer tricks the body into non-opposition by pretending to be normal cells to the body’s immune system. Calvinism to me appears in pretty much the same light.

The first 300 years of the church fought against many of the ideas of Calvinism. These ideas weren’t unknown to the early church, they just weren’t known INSIDE of the church. These ideas were held by the various Gnostic sects and the early church fathers held them at bay until the time of Jerome and Augustine (a former Gnostic who couldn’t read Greek by the way). We were warned that heresy would creep in, and it has. What once was damnable heresy now wears the robes of orthodoxy in Reformed churches worldwide. Does this make anyone else sad other than me?

I respectfully disagree with you. The system of biblical doctrine (the Doctrines of Grace) that many identify as Calvinism (as clearly distinguished from hyper_Calvinism) did not originate with John Calvin,nor are they the result of redefining scriptural truth through philosophy and presupposition, as Pastor Scott falsely claims. Indeed, as can be clearly shown without even mentioning John Calvin or Reform theology, they are derived from the clear teaching of the scriptures themselves through sound biblical exegesis and interpretation;hermeneutics and are, in truth, nothing more, or less, than what the apostles believed, especially Pauline theology, and Jesus himself consistently taught (see 2 Thess. 13-14; 2 Tim. 1:9; Ephesians 1:4-5; John 6:4, 37, 44, 65; John 10:26; 15:16; etc., just to name a few scriptures). These biblical doctrines (Doctrines of Grace), as any biblical historian can easily show, were clearly in circulation and believed in the early history of the apostolic church (1st century)—long before the Catholic Church and the Gnostic gospels (Augustine was certainly no Gnostic) of the second and third centuries (ie. Gospel of Thomas, Mary, etc..

Thanks for the comment. Of course I respectfully disagree with it but you already knew that

If you’re open to some reading material that addresses Calvinism and Arminianism in a very complete (and I think very fair and respectful) manner, you might check out this book: “Grace, Faith, Free Will” by Robert E. Picirilli. It is excellent in its completeness. It points out the many, many reasons for my beliefs in the post above concerning Calvinism being colored by philosophy and presupposition rather than Scriptural truth. It really is the go-to book for Calvinist that are willing to see what Scripture really says. I’ll try to post a link at the bottom of this comment but I’m not sure if that’s allowed or will work.

As far as the early history of the church, what has been so striking to me in my studies for over a decade is how none of the unique elements of Calvinism were believed by the early church. It’s not that they were unknown, it’s just that they were only known outside of the church. That is just a fact. I don’t have a good resource to point to for that though – my opinion is formed by reading the history and writings of the early church fathers directly. What is also interesting to me is that most Calvinist teachers only want to go back as far as Augustine but no further. One that did attempt to go further back was John Gill (1697-1771) in a work whose title escapes me at the moment. But in reading that work it seems he merely scanned the early church fathers for words like ‘elect’ and ‘predestined’ and referenced those passages out of context, not ever acknowledging that their definition of the word (the elect are the ‘whosoever will’ of John 3) was not the same as his as a Calvinist (God saves some and passes over most). Obviously a comment section isn’t suitable for what would be a book, but you might want to check out this reference work: “A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs” edited by David W. Bercot. It basically seeks to be something of a topical index of the ANF (Ante-Nicene Fathers). It isn’t good for standalone research because by its very nature it presents snippets of writing out of their normal context, but it is a great way to find where to start researching a subject in the ANF.

And last but not least, good ol’ Augustine. He did in fact start out as a gnostic when he began to be interested in spiritual matters. He was a follower of Mani before he became a Christian. I know folks often point to the false gospels as the whole of “gnosticism” but they aren’t. There were many, many varieties of gnosticism: some pure paganism, some a mix of paganism and mystical Judaism, etc. The Manichaeism in which Augustine was involved was of Persian origin. I’ve never done drugs but quite frankly studying it is something of a mental acid trip because the ideas in it are so weird to the western mind used to Greek and Roman mythological thought. But almost all of them, no matter their origin, taught that deity decided who would go to paradise (heaven) and who would go to torment (hell), and the human in question couldn’t change that destiny. In other words, just like Calvinism they believed in a deterministic salvation rather than what Scripture teaches: that we are chosen in Christ (not chosen TO BE in Christ) – our English translations could be understood in either way, but the Greek New Testament doesn’t support the Calvinistic understanding.

With all due respect, I have read many books on early church history for my MTS degree, but I derive my theology directly from scripture, not from scholarly writings, helpful as they may be sometimes.”Elect”, “election” etc. are very biblical words and they must be studied in their biblical/historical context for usage and meaning,utilizing the ancient languages and sound principles of Bible interpretation (Hermeneutics), the same as all doctrine.

Calvinists do not believe we are chosen TO BE in Christ as you claim, my friend, at least not the brand of Calvinism I know.Why? Because the scriptures clearly and explicitly teach “He [Jesus Christ] chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…” (Eph. 1:4. See also 1st Timothy 1:9; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 1 Pet. 2:9; Acts 13;48; etc.).

No, if anyone believes that we are chosen To Be in Christ, it is the Arminian who also believes his/her name is written in the Book of Life when he/she accepts Christ as personal Lord and Savior. Calvinists believe no such thing. They believe that because they are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4) those who are called (the chosen in Christ) will most definitely believe (it is a certainty), just as Romans 8:30 states: “Moreover whom He predestined (election is an important aspect of predestination), these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

Acts 13:48 clearly illustrates this truth. “Now when the Gentiles heard this (preaching of Paul and Barnaba–verse 47), they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed (KJV, “were ordained”) to eternal life believed”. It is very clear from this verse that the reason they believed was because they “had been appointed” (KJV, “were ordained”) to eternal life–not vice versa, as some divines would like to interpret it; namely, that that they were elected (“appointed to eternal life”) because they believed (election supposedly on the basis of forseen faith). No,the text is very clear “And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” In other words, their appointment to eternal life (election) is the ultimate cause of their believing.

When were they appointed (“ordained”) to eternal life, one may rightly ask. Obviously, allowing scripture to interpret scripture, it was in eternity past (“chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” Eph. 1:4-5; [Christ speaking] “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom You have given Me–John 17:9, see also John 17:6, 11, 12, 20, 24). In short, the reason anyone believes is rooted in divine election (“appointment to eternal life) in eternity past (the ultimate cause). Our names are not written in the Book of life when we believe, as the Arminians teach, but rather we believe (and the only reason we believe) because our names were (have already been) written in the Book of life from before the foundation of the world: Nor does God’s sovereign election undermine or diminish the responsibility of man in any way to repent of sin and believe the gospel (human responsibility). Both are taught in scripture. [Christ speaking]: He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of life: but I will confess his name before before My Father and before His angels” (Rev. 3:5). Christ will not blot out the name of anyone chosen in Christ (His elect) before the foundation of the world (see John 6:37, 39; John 10: 26; 27-29; Romans 8:30; etc.). I would suggest you read “Redemption: Accomplished and Applied” by Rev. John Murray, considered by many as the foremost conservative theologian in the English-speaking world.

Calvinism says that God saves all that He wills and Arminians say He saves all that he can.Calvinists say God determines who will be saved and Arminians say men determine their own salvation and destiny.One is right and the other is wrong.One will say I told you so and the other will apologize.No doubt Arminianism is more popular and will remain so till the second coming.Then Christ will end the debate.

Factions are a work of the flesh. Anytime the body of Christ is divided on the OPINION of Scripture it is sin. Scripture supports points of both sects, and I will label them sects because that is what they are. God didn’t preserve His word to be bickered over amongst BELIEVERS. Argumentation and quarreling is what this difference of opinion has produced and when single point produces sin, the point itself is sin. Believers who argue one side or another are displaying the immaturity of their nature. These are infants who’s “theological curiosity” has perverted the correct motive for studying God’s Word, the nature of God and ones sanctification.
“Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits.”
The “mature” are described as those who have “trained their sense to discern good and evil”.
Scripture details those things that are evil:
“immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things of the like”
Training our senses to recognize these things and then AVOIDING and SUPPRESSING the urges to give birth to them is our call to do as believers of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Arminian vs Calvinist debate has caused more strife, disputes, and dissensions inside the body of Christ over the past 500 years than any other issue. We should all, above all, identify with each other SOLELY as BROTHERS in Christ. We should strive for unity, not hunt for divisions. We should also LOVE our brothers enough not to argue with them.
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
This is your call, that you love your brother.

No, believers who argue one side or another are not reflecting the immaturity of their nature–they are trying
as much as possible, through sound biblical exegesis and reliance on the Holy Spirit to “rightly divide the Word of truth ” (2 Tim. 2:15) and obey the biblical injunction, as did the early believers at Berea to “search the scriptues daily to find out whether or not these things be so” ( Acts 17:11 )—something all believers are admonished in scripture to do.

Yes, I agree with you that we should contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3) without being contentious and creating needless strife and biggering–and, as much as possible to try to maintain unity with fellow believers who may disagree with us on various issues, but that does not mean, as one professing believer said to me that “We should package doctrine in a rocket and send it to the moon.” Sadly, this kind of attitude and mindset that reflects a theology of the first glance and a desire to please man rather than God (without the diligent study and work required to properly mine/interpret the meaning of scripture) is very popular in most evangelical circles today, just as scripture warns (2 Tim. 4:14).

I think you’re right on the money with your reply Rayburne. We have a modern, western Christianity that couldn’t think its way out of a wet paper bag – and it doesn’t really care about correct doctrine.

There is nothing new under the sun and in truth we are taking on the form of ancient Israel in forming from God’s revelation of Himself an idol to suit our own tastes. But the ancient folks who went astray did exactly the same thing:

“A better god has been discovered [by the heretics]: one who never takes offense, is never angry, never inflicts punishments, has prepared no fire in Gehenna, and requires no gnashing of teeth in the outer darkness! He is purely and simply “good”. He indeed forbids all delinquency – but only in word. He is in you, if you are willing to pay him homage. This is for the sake of appearances, so that you may seem to honor God [their view of God]. For he [their view of God] does not want your fear.”
– Tertullian circa 207AD 3.292

You’re right about a modern, western Christianity that couldn’t think its way out of a paper bag. That quote sounds just like a lot of liberal pickle I’ve heard before–a God of love who spends all His time loving everyone (poor chap), but not a righteous and just God who abhors sin and evil and must (and will) punish sin and sinners (He would not even be a loving God if he did not punish sin and evil). The God of ancient Israel–the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob–is the same Creator–God, who has revealed Himself in the Person and finished Work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the redemption of His chosen people, both Jew and Gentile (John 1:1, 3, 14; 8:58; John 6:37; 17:2-3; 17:6,9, 11, 12, 20, 24; Col. 1:16-17; Eph. 1:4-5; . 5:25; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 21:9-12, 14; etc.).

As well as Redemption: Accomplished and Applied by Rev. John Murray, I would also highly recommend that Pastor Scott read “God’s Part and Man’s Part in Salvation” by Dr. John Reisinger. The link is below:

Well before I even knew what a Calvinist was people hated what I noticed. I was talking to a friend about how I noticed that Paul was chosen by God. Paul was not going up to the alter to except Jesus Christ as his person savior. He was on the road to Damascus to imprison Christians and have them put into prison and I am sure that God was impressed by that… God could have raised up anyone he wanted to do what Paul did. She was appalled to hear what I said about Paul. Then I met some of her friend for dinner and did not even bring it up and they attacked me say “you believe that God chooses people?”

This is one reason why I think people hate Calvinists. People have this idea of what God is and they put all their faith into that idea. Calvanism attacks their Idea of what God is.

I am more of a Calvinist than anything else and I am sure Calvinism has problems. The way some people act like there is no God. I go to a reformed church now and the church I use to go to changed there name from Open Bible to some name that people would think is more hip, and to bring more converts. They would do anything even not have a cross up to keep from offending people. It really makes me sick they act like Jesus (God) Has no power at all. The way some Christians act …we just got to get them in here to make a decision for Christ at any cost.

I have listened to Calvinism and Arminian debates for years. I have given this a lot of thought and at the moment I would side with the Calvinists. I am still searching the scriptures and trying to keep an unbias view and if I find myself to be wrong about Calvinism I will be happy to go back Arminian view point.

If I will be with God in heaven. It won’t be for anything I have done at all. I won’t even be able to say that I chose him.

If you really look at the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15 it has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Jesus he has done.

I spent almost 30 years in a calvinist church. My observations are as follows:
-absolute intolerance to other doctrines, denominations and religions
-huge focus on guilt trip sermons
-very little outreach if any, most likely due to the election thing
-doctrine of predestination or election, yet preaching you are responsible for all your sins (why I left)
-don’t associate or mix with other people from other denominations or religions, and especially non-christians (yet they support missionaries to other countries apparently yet untouched by the gospel)
-a huge amount of hypocracy (and I’ve spent plenty of time in other churches to make this observation). And I mean, dumptruck loads of it. I didnt really see and understand this until I got old enough, at which point I decided that was a negative thing
-i would go as far as the most pure calvinist churches are borderline racist (I think there was one non-white person in the church i attended out of 200 families…that has since improved, but not by much)
-ostracizing of own family members for not believing in the same doctrines as set out by Calvinism
-their interpretation of the scripture, and the particular translation or version of the bible in their pews, is the only one, and the complete one.

I am neither Calvinist nor Arminian — I live in the tension between the two.

And I’ve never been to Armenia, so I can’t comment on that.

But I attend a Dutch Reformed church at present, and I have great conversations/coffee/prayer times with my very Calvinist pastor. We are good friends and he is but one of many who breaks the stereotype of the “arrogant Calvinist”.

At the same time, if I look back at my time in seminary, I do recall quite a number of times where any non-Calvinists were referred to as “semi-Pelagians”. And much evangelistic zeal was expended in trying to convert people to Calvinism. That didn’t make me “hate” Calvinists, but it didn’t endear them to me either.

But in recent years, the almost-psychotic viciousness with which Calvinists have been attacked has found me defending my Calvinist brothers and sisters quite strongly. I still cannot embrace Calvinism en toto, but I’m appalled by the hatred and venom spewed by people claiming to be followers of Jesus.

Ironically, the “arrogant Calvinist” attitude (which is a turn-off) is mirrored by the “smug Anabaptist” (better than you because they’re Anabaptist, and they get martyr points in their own mind if you disagree with them). Pride and arrogance have been around a lot longer than Calvinists, Arminians, Anabaptists, Catholics, etc.

I am a very convinced Calinist and I kinda wondered at times if
those who embrace “Free Will” are actually saved because if they claim they chose Jesus when in fact He does the choosing..If He did not choose you, then you will be turned into hell….make sense?? I am open to discussion…

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